Contest Details

Official Rules:

Entries can be anything from cosplay to code on a micro, but must include some type of electronics

Existing projects, or projects that were entered in previous our previous Sci-Fi contest but did not win a prize are eligible for submission as entries in this Contest with the following restrictions:

A new project page must be created

The project must be significantly different from when previously entered and show meaningful development during the course of the Contest.

Projects must fill out the description, details, components, and project logs.

Use of time travel devices to extend contest deadline is prohibited.

Projects must be open source. 3D CAD files, Source code, schematics, and board layouts for the project software must be either posted in the files section, or include a link to a public repository such as Github.

All entries will be judged by Hackaday staff.

Contest is open to residents of Planet Earth only. Extraterrestrials must obtain planetary citizenship before entering.

Hackaday Staff, Employees of SupplyFrame, Judges or the family of any of the preceding are not eligible to take part in this contest. Everyone is still encouraged to build awesome stuff and show it off though.

Judging Criteria:

How novel or interesting is the entry?

How well is the project documented? (Can it be replicated and built upon by the average hacker?)

How complete is the entry? Projects don’t have to be complete or working to enter, however those which are finished and working by the deadline may be judged higher.

Contest Logs

We saw a huge outpouring of builds for the the Hackaday Sci-Fi Contest and it’s now time to reveal the winners. With 84 great themed projects submitted, the judges had a tough task to pull out the most impressive both in terms of creativity and execution.

Here are our four winners. Two come from the Stargate universe. One is a cuddly yet horrifying character of unknown origin but unarguably Sci-Fi. The other is the best use of a bowling ball we’ve seen so far.

GRAND PRIZE

The grand prize goes to [Jerome Kelty] with Animatronic Stargate Helmet. [Jerome] has built a replica prop that looks like it just came out of a Hollywood shop. It’s almost a shame that this helmet won’t be worn on film – though it certainly could be. If you remember the film and the television show, these helmets have quite a bit of articulation. The head can pan and tilt. The eyes glow, as well as have irises which expand and contract. The “wings” also open and close in a particular way.

[Jerome] built the mechanics for this helmet. He used radio control servos to move the head, with the help of some hardware from ServoCity. Most of the metalwork was built in his own shop. Everything is controlled from a standard R/C transmitter, much like the original show. [Jerome] is taking home a Rigol DS1054Z 4 Channel 50 MHz scope.

FIRST PRIZE

First prize goes to [Christine] withStarfish Cat: Your Lovecraftian Furby-like Friend. Starfish Cat is one of those odd projects that finds itself right on the edge of the uncanny valley. We are equal parts intrigued and creeped out by this… thing. The bottom is all starfish, with a rubber base poured into a 3D printed mold. The top though, is more cat-like, with soft fur and ears. 5 claws hide under the fur, ready to grab you.

Starfish Cat detects body heat with 5 bottom mounted PIR sensors. The sensors are read by the particle photon which acts as its brain. When heat is detected, Starfish Cat activates its claws, and also blows or sucks air through its… uh… mouth hole. [Christine] is taking home a Monoprice Maker Select Mini 3D printer.

Click past the break to see the rest of the winners

SECOND PRIZE

Second Prize goes to [Jochen Alt] with Paul. Paul is a balancing robot. He rides on a ball by driving 3 omnidirectional wheels. You might think he was inspired by BB-8, but [Jochen] has been working on balancing robots for years now — even longer than BB-8 has been around.

Paul is powered by a pair of Atmel ATmega644 microcontrollers. One handles balance and motor drive. The other micro drives the speakers, LEDs, and takes commands from an XBee radio.

Did we mention that Paul recites somewhat depressing poetry while riding on his ball? He might be related to Marvin the paranoid android. [Jochen] is rolling away with a complete Blu-Ray box of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

THIRD PRIZE

[Shlonkin] didn’t have access to all the composites [Jerome] used, so he carved the staff entirely out of wood. A hidden trigger allows the Ma’Tok’s wielder to arm and fire the weapon. Sequenced LEDs take the place of the electrical discharges in the real thing. The Ma’Tok is controlled by an Adafruit Pro Trinket, which also drives a servo hidden in the head. The servo allows the Ma’Tok to “fire” a small projectile. The projectile was built from a tiny flashlight. It almost looks like a bolt of electricity when fired.

[Shlonkin] is taking home a Lego Millennium Falcon.

So that’s another contest all wrapped up. Congratulations to all the winners! We’d like to thank everyone who entered, as well as the judges who toiled through the night to pick the best entries.

This is a quick note to say thank you to everyone who entered the Sci-Fi contest. The project database was backed up exactly on time. The entrants are now on a spreadsheet which the judges are using as they review each project.

- Login to your hackaday.io account- On the upper bar, press "+Add a Project" to create your new project. At this point it is not mandatory to finish documenting your whole project. You can came later and edit/add what's new.- After you create your project, click on your new project- In the left side of your project, under the project picture you will see a drop-down button named "Submit Project to...". Choose the contest name and submit your project.- By now, you should see your submitted project listed somewhere in this page:

- Login to your hackaday.io account- On the upper bar, press "+Add a Project" to create your new project. At this point it is not mandatory to finish documenting your whole project. You can came later and edit/add what's new.- After you create your project, click on your new project- In the left side of your project, under the project picture you will see a drop-down button named "Submit Project to...". Choose the contest name and submit your project.- By now, you should see your submitted project listed somewhere in this page:https://hackaday.io/submissions/2017-sci-fi-contest/list

Is is possible that a smart-watch can tell with relative accuracy if you are sleeping or not?

If so, free idea for you! Make a talking home-computer, or mirror, or something, connected to your smartwatch via bluetooth, that waits until you are up to start telling you things about your upcoming day.

Probably like the last contests: sure! It's highly unlikely that you would win all four prizes, just because there are human judges ;) and if they would find 4 projects of yours would deserve the prizes, I'm sure they'd be reevaluating the rules for the next contest, but that didn't happen so far :)